A step by step Guide on How to Perform Umrah

Step by Step Guide to Performing an Umrah

Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage and is, in
short, an act of worship of Allah (SWT). It is based on the teachings of the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his Sunnah. The pilgrimage is a visit to the House of
Allah (SWT) and can be carried out any time of the year. It is known as a
‘minor pilgrimage’ in comparison to the ‘greater pilgrimage’ of Hajj. However,
it holds great value and virtue in the
eyes of Allah (SWT).

The Umrah comprises of four basic
pillars:

1)Ihram

Ihram is essentially making the formal
‘intention’ of performing the Umrah. In order to enter the fold of Ihram, the
individual must change clothes and take a proper bath (ghusl) which showcases
an act of washing away all impurities. Men change into the two fabrics, Ridaa
and Izaar, whereas women can wear any form of clothing which covers the body
and head. Women who are menstruating or experiencing postnatal bleeding are
also advised to perform ghusl.

Upon the cleansing, the individual should perform the obligatory
prayers or offer two rakaat of Sunnah
prayer. Once that is done, the individual should face the direction of the
Qibla and officially enter Ihram – the individual must enter Ihram before he/she
leaves for the Meeqat in Makkah. Perfume or perfumed products are strictly
prohibited while a person is in his/her Ihram.

At the Meeqat, the pilgrim must make the intention and
recite the words:

“Labbayk Allaahumma bi
‘Umrah”(Here I am, O Allah, for ‘Umrah)

After this, he/she should recite the Talbiyah, in
line with the Sunnah:

(In the name of Allah, and blessings and
peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to
me the gates of Your mercy. I seek refuge with Allah the Almighty and in His
noble Countenance and His eternal power from the accursed Satan).”

The pilgrim can then
touch the Black Stone (Hajr e Aswad) and start the Tawaaf. Ideally, the pilgrim
should touch it with his right hand and then kiss it. If, however, he/she is
unable to kiss it directly, he/she can touch it with his/her hand then kiss
his/her hand. There is great virtue in touching the Black Stone. If he/she
cannot even touch the stone with his/her hand, the pilgrim should face his/her
hand in the direction of the stone and say “Allahu Akbar”. Then the pilgrim
starts the Tawaaf – taking rounds around the Ka’bah, with the Ka’bah being on
their left. One must be careful not to touch the cloth of the Ka’bah during
Tawaaf as it is perfumed and touching it might rub off some of the perfume onto
you making the state of Ihram void.

Men must keep the right shoulder uncovered during the
Tawaaf, which is known as Idtibaa. This is done by placing the Ridaa beneath
the right armpit and taking it up on the left shoulder. Moreover, the men must
practice ‘raml’ in the first three rounds
of Tawaaf, which is essentially walking fast while taking small steps. For the rest
of the rounds, they can walk on their
normal place.

Upon finishing the seven rounds of Tawaaf, the pilgrim
must then go to the station of Ibrahim (Maqaam e Ibrahim) and recite the
following words:

“And take you (people) the Maqaam (place)
of Ibraaheem (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibraaheem (Abraham) stood while
he was building the Ka’bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers,
e.g. two Rak‘at after the Tawaaf of the Ka’bah at Makkah)” (Surah Baqarah:125)

The pilgrim should then offer two rakaat of prayer behind Maqaam e Ibrahim. If that is proving
difficult, the pilgrim can offer the prayers in any spot of the mosque. During
the first rakah, Surah Al-Kafirun
(109) is recited and for the second rakah,
Surah Al-Ikhlaas
(112) is recited. Upon offering the prayer, the individual should head back
to the Black Stone and touch it if possible.

3)Saa’i between Safa and Marwah

The pilgrim should then head for the
place of Saa’i (Masaa) and when he/she
nears the hill of Safa, the following should be recited:

“Verily, As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two
mountains in Mecca) are of the Symbols of Allah” (Surah Baqarah:158)

And

“Nabda’u bima bada’a Allaah bihi”

(We start with that with which Allah
started)

The pilgrim must then climb up on the Safa hill to a point
from where the Ka’bah is visible. He/she should face the Ka’bah, raise his/her
hand and supplicate to Allah (SWT). The pilgrim is free to make whatever dua
he/she desires. According to a hadith, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) recited the following dua
as praise:

(There is no god but Allah alone, with no
partner or associate; His is the
Dominion, all praise is due to Him, and He is able to do all things. There is
no god but Allah alone; he fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave,
and defeated the confederates alone).” (Sahih Muslim, 1218)

The pilgrim should repeat this 3 times; do dhikr,
supplicate, do dhikr, supplicate (and so on). Then the pilgrim should descend
down to Marwah and the men are to run between the green lights. The distance is
marked by two green markers – the men should run till the second marker and
then walk up normally to the hill of Marwah and climb up. There, the pilgrim
must face the Qibla and recite what he/she said at Safa. After that, the
pilgrim must descend again and head towards Safa. Upon reaching Safa, the
pilgrim must repeat what he/she did the first time and repeat the same when
he/she goes back to Marwah for seven circuits (One circuit is from Safa to
Marwah).

4)Shaving
the head/Cutting of Hair

Lastly, upon the completion of the seven circuits, the
pilgrim is required to cut his/her hair. The men are required to shave their
heads or cut their hair on their entire head equally. The women are required to
cut their hair equal to the length of a fingertip.

With this last act, the pilgrim officially completes
his/her Umrah.

Hopefully, this article will prove to be useful to
those planning on performing the Umrah soon. May Allah (SWT) accept your duas and good deeds. Ameen!

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